HER MAJESTY

For the first time ever, I heard an album from The Decemberists I did not immediately like. The sound is "stripped bare," and the arrangements not exactly satisfying. Were I to guess The Decemberists's first album, I'd say this is probably it, because in general it sounds like the demo for a Colin Meloy solo project. The feminine backup singing is repressed but present, and the keyboards are almost absent. It's a very good album, but quite weak next to its siblings.

"Shanty for the Arethusa" As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, this album did not immediately warm to me, and this song is largely responsible for why. It's noisy, gritty, and somewhat disjointed. I have grown to love it, mainly due to the always pleasing vocal melody and the lyrics.

"Billy Liar" There's a variety of literary inspiration for this, most notable Dylan Thomas's made-for-radio play Under Milk Wood. The first three lines are not exactly coy- one of the themes seems to clearly be young male masturbation. The music is jaunty, catchy, and a hell of a lot of fun to dance to.

"Los Angeles, I'm Yours" A song evidently about the love/hate relationship one can have with a big city, this one has lyrics about sluts and drug dealers, and yet the narrator finds all of this debauchery and sickness to be at once unpalatable and home- in other words, another home run lyrically for the ever-adept Meloy. Musically, it has a pleasant vamp, with chords pumped forth like Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets."

"The Gymnast, High Above The Ground" Arguably the most beautiful song on the album, this has a thudding acoustic guitar and a sweet melody. The lyrics are rather obscure (surprise, right?), but I think they are about getting to the place we intend to get to, albeit accidentally and through no credit of our own. Whatever the case, it's a gorgeous piece, and even speculating on the meaning is a delight. The last four lines, a refrain of "April marches on," is particularly, yet inexplicably, bittersweet.

"The Bachelor And The Bride" Powerful acoustic guitar and, as usual, a highly memorable vocal melody, make up the bulk of this dark track. I dig the bass solo, simple and short though it may be, and how it brings back the rest of the group. My only guess about this one is that it is not about literature, but about a painting. The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even is a painting by Marcel Duchamp. That's about all can offer- the painting makes as much sense to me as brides do in general.

"Song For Myla Goldberg" The titular person is a real one, an writer Meloy actually worked for. She is the New York author who wrote "Bee Season," a novel. This song makes one pay attention to the wordplay despite the incredibly catchy melody- which make sense, since the novel in question is about spelling bees, which come around! Instrumentally, there are some interesting moments, particularly in terms of keyboard.

"The Soldiering Life" A fairly short, upbeat song, that seems to hint at homoeroticism in the midst of war among soldiers.

"Red Right Ankle" A somehow heartrending yet somehow charming acoustic song, this has much more of a visceral impact than an intellectual one. Regarding its exact meaning, I am lost. However, I hear it is about Meloy's ex-girlfriend, who created several of the groups cover artwork.

"The Chimbley Sweep" A simple piece, this has some bad mixing as well as gritty guitar; overall, it sounds like heavy dark cabaret. Apparently, like "Billy Liar," this song seems to be inspired from Thomas's aforementioned play. It tells of a forlorn boy who was left on a doorstep when he was an infant, sweeps chimneys all day, but indulges in some, well, fringe benefits (like widows) along the way.

"I Was Meant For The Stage" At last, this seems to be a song about Meloy himself. It appears to be a message to his family (and the world), that this business of being in front of people (both in being applauded and derided) was his occupational purpose. This one morphs into a heavy, avant-garde beast (like the first song) also- another reason I find this album harder than their others to listen to.

"As I Rise" I really wish the album had ended with that last powerful piece, but, for some reason, the band decides to tack on this goofy little ditty, which is exaggerated country music. I like it, with the lap steel guitar and the honky-tonk piano, but it sounds a bit forced and unnatural.